Goji Berry and Vanilla Sugar Cookies

Despite the fact that yesterday was a full workday for me, it happened to be one of the nicest days (weather-wise) that we’d had in a while. Between my two shifts Robert and I sometimes like to spend a little time at the local park, so I decided to make some simple sugar cookies that we could snack on.

Aside from all the nutritional benefits of goji berries, I tossed in a handful of it into this recipe because it added a nice chewy texture and tartness to the cookie. I also decided to top them off with a little bit of orange sugar, which added a faint twist of flavor when you finish eating the cookie.

Goji Berry and Vanilla Sugar Cookies

Makes about 25 small cookies

1 stick (4oz) Butter, room temp.

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla paste

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup dried goji berries

For Orange Sugar:

4 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 Tablespoon Orange zest

For cookies: In a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, paddle butter and sugar together until fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add eggs in one at a time, until completely emulsified, then add vanilla paste. Scrape bottom of bowl with rubber spatula, let mixture mix until uniform. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. Slowly mix in with batter until completely uniform, remembering to scrape bottom of bowl when necessary. Toss in dried goji berries and mix until fully incorporated.

On a sheet pan lined with a silpat or parchment paper, scoop out dough (I used a small 3/4″ scoop), keeping scoops 1 1/2″ apart. Bake at 350F for 7 minutes, or until golden brown along edges.

For Orange Sugar: Combine orange zest and granulated sugar, let sit until slightly dry (the oils in the zest will moisten the sugar). While cookies are still hot, top each cookie with a pinch of orange sugar.